Policy
ISIS-inspired New York City bomber sentenced to life in prison
A federal judge sentenced a New Jersey man to life in prison on Tuesday for detonating and attempting to detonate a series of bombs in New York City and New Jersey in September 2016. Ahmad Khan Rahimi, 30, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, planted improvised explosives devices (IEDs) in Chelsea, one... Read More »
CDC warns of U.S. economic risks affiliated with disease outbreaks overseas
Whether an infectious disease ever reaches U.S. shores or not, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are now warning of the damage they could still do to U.S. interests--notably, its export economy. In articles published in Health Security, the agency noted that there are 49... Read More »
Researchers suggest establishing a National Cybersecurity Safety Board to investigate cyber attacks, data breaches
Researchers at the University of Indiana suggested that an independent cybersecurity agency board should be established to investigate cyber attacks and data breaches after conducting a comprehensive academic review. The board’s structure would resemble the National Transportation Safety... Read More »
Former Sen. Daschle praises Trump’s support of Project BioShield
The shift in Project BioShield Act of 2004 funding from its original 10-year appropriations cycle to year-by-year funding has posed challenges for the program by creating an uncertain climate for private-sector firms investing in developing medical countermeasures (MCM) against chemical,... Read More »
Rep. Brooks commends control shift of Strategic National Stockpile in Trump’s budget proposal
Following President Donald Trump’s release of his Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal last week, U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) applauded the inclusion of a control shift of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the Department of Health... Read More »
Homeland security leaders welcome Trump’s fiscal year 2019 budget proposal
President Donald Trump delivered on Monday his Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Budget to Congress, which requests $47.5 billion in discretionary budget authority for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a 7.8 percent increase from the FY 2018 President’s Budget. “The budget demonstrates the... Read More »
Sen. Klobuchar, former DHS Secretary Johnson outline vulnerabilities in election security ahead of 2018 midterms
With midterm elections approaching in November, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) warned on Monday that federal and state officials remain unable to ensure that elections are secure from outside attacks. Klobuchar and former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson discussed... Read More »
ICE moves to dismantle global cyberfraud operation following mass indictment
Indictments have been issued against 36 defendants by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), targeting them for potential roles in the Infraud Organization--an Internet-based operation which has defrauded victims throughout the world of more than $530 million. Of those charged, 13... Read More »
NASS issues statement clarifying Russian targeting of state election systems, calls on DHS to help restore voter confidence
The National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) pushed back on a recent report about Russian hackers penetrating state-based voter systems on Thursday, reiterating that just one state voter system was breached and that efforts to shore up cybersecurity have been ongoing. NASS responded... Read More »
Buenos Aires police arrest international wanted murder suspect following identification with facial recognition technology
Police in Buenos Aires recently arrested an internationally wanted murder suspect after the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) facial recognition unit identified his image as a likely match. During an investigation by police in Argentina, INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau... Read More »
GOP senators announce bill establishing path to naturalization for DACA recipients, funding for border wall
Republican senators announced plans on Friday to introduce legislation that would create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, allocate $25 billion for border security, and make reforms the nation’s immigration system. The Secure and Succeed Act... Read More »
House approves bills to improve public safety calls, rural communications networks
Bills that would mandate that all multi-line telephone systems connect directly to 9-1-1 systems and would require the FCC to establish minimum call completion standards for intermediary phone providers in rural areas cleared the House of Representatives on Friday. The Kari’s Law Act was... Read More »
Senate leaders probe issues with Electronic Immigration System that led to citizenship approvals without vetting
Leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee pressed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for answers on Thursday amid reports that citizenship applications were approved without background checks and green cards were erroneously issued. U.S. Sens. Ron... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate awards $5.6 million to cybersecurity research projects
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently awarded a total of $5,643,466 across seven organizations to develop new tools for cybersecurity researchers. “Cybersecurity research and development, and the ability to develop new solutions will be... Read More »
DHS, DoJ working to improve response to incidents involving individuals with mental illness, GAO says
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DoJ) are striving to improve incident response involving individuals with mental illness, but challenges remain, according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review released on Thursday. Under the 21st Century Cures... Read More »
Commerce Secretary Ross appoints four members to FirstNet Board
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross appointed four members to the Board of the First Responder Network Authority on Thursday who have backgrounds in public safety, wireless broadband, and network engineering. Richard Ross, police commissioner of Philadelphia; David Zolet, CEO of the Logistics... Read More »
Measure seeks to bolster CBP staffing, resources
Reps. Filemon Vela (D-TX) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) recently introduced a bill designed to enhance U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) support, staffing, and resources. The lawmakers said the Border and Ports Security Act would increase the CBP’s capacity to screen passengers and... Read More »
Senators call on DoD to review vulnerabilities posed by fitness trackers, Google Android phones
Revelations that mobile devices can reveal the identities, activities and locations of U.S. service members stationed abroad prompted members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to call for a Department of Defense (DoD) review on Wednesday. In a letter to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, U.S.... Read More »
Spying concerns prompt Senate bill barring federal government’s use of Chinese telecom providers
Amid concerns about potential espionage, the federal government would be prohibited from procuring telecommunications equipment or services from China-based Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp. under a bill introduced in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. In 2012, the Permanent Select Committee on... Read More »
UN, Interpol heads discuss global security priorities, strategies to strengthen cooperation
Threats posed by ISIS fighters returning home as the terrorist organization loses territory were a focus of recent discussions between the heads the United Nations (UN) and Interpol about global security issues and priorities. UN Secretary General António Guterres and Interpol Secretary... Read More »
In wake of Super Bowl, Minneapolis-St.Paul Airport TSA sets one-day record for passengers screened
As hundreds of thousands of attendees sought return flights following Super Bowl LII, the local branch of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) set a one-day record for security screenings. In total, MSP TSA screened 60,883... Read More »
OPCW Fact-Finding Mission investigating allegations of chemical weapons use in Syria
An Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) fact-finding mission (FFM) is currently investigating recent allegations about the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic. The FFM’s mandate is “to establish facts surrounding allegations of the use of toxic... Read More »
House bill aims to improve coordination among federal agencies to track, target domestic terrorist groups
Federal agencies would be given new tools to track white supremacist and other extremist groups and to coordinate multi-agency efforts under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Under the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, H.R. 4918, the Department of Homeland Security,... Read More »
New York man sentenced to 18 years in prison for attacking federal agents, supporting ISIS
A New York man who pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to provide material support to ISIS and conspiring to attack federal agents was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday in federal court. Munther Omar Saleh, 22, was arrested in 2015 after he allegedly attacked an FBI agent who was... Read More »
Nuclear weapon modernization, environmental cleanup face funding shortfalls, GAO reports
The National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) plans to modernize the nation’s nuclear weapons is not supported by the administration’s budget, and Department of Energy (DoE) environmental cleanup could cost billions more than projected, according to a recent Government Accountability... Read More »
Spending stalemate has costs at Department of Homeland Security
Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security conceded Wednesday to a weariness and anxiety about the repeated congressional efforts to agree to a longtime spending plan, resulting in recurring threats of a government shutdown until a budget is voted. Elaine Duke, deputy secretary of DHS,... Read More »
Lawmakers support Homeland Security lab funding
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) recently joined 10 congressional colleagues in demonstrating support for funding of three Homeland Security labs. Officials said correspondence to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees backs full funding of the National Urban Security Technology Laboratory... Read More »
Science and Technology Directorate highlights role of its Coast Guard Search and Rescue Visual Analytics system
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate recently issued a press release highlighting its Coast Guard Search and Rescue Visual Analytics (cgSARVA) system. cgSARVA, a visual, user-centered platform, helps USCG decision-makers identify boat stations most... Read More »
California engineer sentenced for economic espionage
Gregory Allen Justice, an engineer who worked for a cleared government contractor in California, was recently sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempting to commit economic espionage, attempting to violate the Arms Export Control Act and violating the International... Read More »
Senate bill aims to establish framework for US law enforcers to access information stored overseas
A framework would be established for law enforcers to legally access email communications stored on overseas cloud-based servers, and U.S. officials would be authorized to negotiate bilateral data sharing agreements with foreign countries, under a Senate bill announced on Monday. The Clarifying... Read More »
US, Canadian homeland security leaders eye raising global standards
A meeting between Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale on Monday focused on raising global security standards. Nielsen and Goodale discussed standards pertaining to cyber security, counterterrorism,... Read More »
Homeland Security chooses Booz Allen Hamilton as prime contractor for $621 million cybersecurity task order
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently selected Booz Allen Hamilton as the first prime contractor under the government-wide Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Dynamic and Evolving Federal Enterprise Network Defense (DEFEND) Program. DHS gave Booz Allen a $621 million... Read More »
Treasury Department announces new sanctions on individuals, entities linked to Hezbollah
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced new sanctions against six individuals and seven entities tied to Hezbollah on Friday in an effort to cripple the terrorist organization’s business operations. The six individuals targeted by OFAC sanctions, all... Read More »
IDSA, HIV Medicine Association capitalize on State of the Union to push for raise in budget caps, DACA action
Pointing to pledges made in the State of the Union speech earlier this week, both the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and HIV Medicine Association have asked Congress and President Donald Trump to raise budget caps for both defense and nondefense spending. Their reasoning is that... Read More »